A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command. The one or more heuristics comprise: a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a one- dimensional vertical screen scrolling command, a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a two-dimensional screen translation command, and a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a command to transition from displaying a respective item in a set of items to displaying a next item in the set of items.

Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics

A portable electronic device displays a plurality of icons (e.g., graphical objects) in a region in a touch-sensitive display; detects a predefined user action, with respect to the touch-sensitive display, for initiating a predefined user interface reconfiguration process; and varies positions of one or more icons in the plurality of icons in response to detecting the predefined user action. The varying includes varying the positions of the one or more icons about respective average positions.

Portable electronic device with interface reconfiguration mode

Social network information may be shared across online service providers. Thus, one online service provider M that maintains a membership separate from a second online service provider N may nevertheless use the social network maintained by the second online service provider N to tailor content and/or services based on such social network information.

Sharing social network information

A system, apparatus, and method are directed towards enabling information filtering using measures of an affinity of a relationship between subscribers of an online portal system. The affinity of a relationship may be determined based, in part, on the tracking of various online behaviors of and between subscribers of the portal system. Any of a variety of behaviors may be tracked, including message communications between subscribers, participation in instant messaging groups, purchases, activities, categories, and so forth. Such behaviors may be employed to determine a level of trust (or affinity) between subscribers of the portal system. This affinity measurement may be used to filter various information, including, but not limited to, product recommendations, ratings, polling queries, advertising, social network communications, personal ads, search results, and the like. Moreover, this affinity measurement may also be employed to perform message spam detection.

System and method of information filtering using measures of affinity of a relationship

A preferred contact group centric interface for a communication device can be used to facilitate communications by a user. The user interface can be arranged to activate from a user's “home page” on the display, from an idle screen that is accessed after a timeout period expires, or any other appropriate mechanism that activates the preferred contact group centric experience. A user selects the preferred contact group from among an array of the user's contacts. Once the contact group is configured, a minimal number of navigation/selection features is necessary to activate any number of communication modes available to the contacts. The contact group is configured such that simple and quick navigation between the contact members is achieved. The contact group can be presented in 2D and 3D arrangements, in any number of list or geometric configurations. A pricing plan can optionally be tied to each member of the contact group.

Preferred contact group centric interface

A system and method for dynamically grouping messaging buddies in an electronic network may include a user device that communicates with a server device in the electronic network for transmitting message information to one or more selected buddy devices in the electronic network. The server device may include a profile database that is configured to store profiles which each include designated profile attributes for a corresponding one of the messaging buddies. A device user may utilize a messaging application of the user device to enter a dynamic grouping mode for generating a dynamic buddy list from a static buddy list based upon a grouping query of the various profiles in the profile database.

System and method for dynamically grouping messaging buddies in an electronic network

A system and method for effectively implementing a dynamic user interface in an electronic network may include a user interface application that is configured to generate a user interface upon a display of a user device in the electronic network. The user interface application may generate a main widget for controlling and utilizing various types of system functionality through the user interface. The user interface application may further dynamically generate a connect widget for performing network communications procedures between the user device and one or more buddy devices in the electronic network. The user interface application may also dynamically generate an alert widget for providing various types of system alert messages to a device user.

System and method for effectively implementing a dynamic user interface in an electronic network

On a portable electronic device, multiple-position toggle button data entry keys are provided within the data entry keypad. A controller detects activation of each multiple-position toggle button data entry key on the keypad by a user, and also detects the number of times the data entry key is activated. The controller then accesses a key map in memory to determine the letter or numeric digit selected by the user. All letters and numbers represented on the communication device may be activated with no more than two depressions or activations of a corresponding toggle button.

Elke Wiggeshoff

Papers

System and method for dynamically grouping messaging buddies in an electronic network

System and method for effectively implementing a dynamic user interface in an electronic network

Data entry method and apparatus